Disclosed are embodiments of an ion beam sample preparation and coating apparatus and methods. A sample may be prepared in one or more ion beams and then a coating may be sputtered onto the prepared sample within the same apparatus. A vacuum transfer device may be used with the apparatus in order to transfer a sample into and out of the apparatus while in a controlled environment. Various methods to improve preparation and coating uniformity are disclosed including: rotating the sample retention stage; modulating the sample retention stage; variable tilt ion beam irradiating means, more than one ion beam irradiating means, coating thickness monitoring, selective shielding of the sample, and modulating the coating donor holder.
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1. An ion beam apparatus for preparing a sample and coating said sample with a coating material comprising:
a) a first ion beam irradiating means disposed in a vacuum chamber directing a first ion beam along a first central ion beam axis;
b) a coating donor translation stage operable to move between a sputtering position and a quiescent position, said coating donor translation stage coupled to a coating donor holder, said coating donor holder configured to hold said coating material;
i) wherein in said sputtering position, said coating donor holder positions a portion of said coating material in the path of said first central ion beam axis, the interaction of said first ion beam with said coating material creating a sputtered coating material in said vacuum chamber;
ii) wherein in said quiescent position, said coating donor holder positions none of said coating material in the path of said first central ion beam axis;
c) a sample retention stage configured to releasably retain a sample holder which holds said sample in a predetermined position and orientation with respect to said first central ion beam axis, said sample retention stage having: a lifting axis; and a lifting drive;
i) the lifting drive operable to move said sample retention stage along said lifting axis between a milling position and a coating position;
A) wherein in said milling position, said sample retention stage is positioned to hold at least a portion of said sample in the path of said first central ion beam axis;
B) wherein in said sputtering position, said sample retention stage is positioned so that none of said sample intersects said first central ion beam axis and at least a portion of said sample is positioned to receive a coating portion of said sputtered coating material present in said vacuum chamber; and
C) wherein said first central ion beam axis is the same for said sputtering position and said milling position and wherein said sample retention stage is moved parallel to said lifting axis between said sputtering position and said milling position.
8. An ion beam apparatus for preparing a sample and coating said sample with a coating material comprising:
a) a first ion beam irradiating means disposed in a vacuum chamber directing a first ion beam along a first central ion beam axis;
b) a coating donor translation stage operable to move between a sputtering position and a quiescent position, said coating donor translation stage coupled to a coating donor holder, said coating donor holder configured to hold said coating material;
i) wherein in said sputtering position, said coating donor holder positions a portion of said coating material in the path of said first central ion beam axis, the interaction of said first ion beam with said coating material creating a sputtered coating material in said vacuum chamber;
ii) wherein in said quiescent position, said coating donor holder positions none of said coating material in the path of said first central ion beam axis;
c) a rotating sample retention stage configured to releasably retain a sample holder which holds said sample in a predetermined position and orientation with respect to said first central ion beam axis, said sample retention stage having: a lifting axis; and a lifting drive; and a rotation axis;
i) the lifting drive operable to move said rotating sample retention stage along said lifting axis between a milling position and a coating position
A) wherein in said milling position, said rotating sample retention stage is positioned to hold at least a portion of said sample in the path of said first central ion beam axis;
B) wherein in said sputtering position, none of said sample intersects said first ion beam central axis and at least a portion of said sample is positioned to receive a coating portion of said sputtered coating material present in said vacuum chamber;
ii) said rotating sample retention stage operable to rotate said sample about said rotation axis for at least a portion of one rotation; and
iii) wherein said first central ion beam axis is the same for said sputtering position and said milling position and wherein said sample retention stage is moved parallel to said lifting axis between said sputtering position and said milling position.
13. An ion beam apparatus for preparing a sample and coating said sample with a coating material comprising:
a) a first ion beam irradiating means disposed in a vacuum chamber directing a first ion beam along a first central ion beam axis;
b) a coating donor translation stage operable to move between a sputtering position and a quiescent position, said coating donor translation stage coupled to a coating donor holder, said coating donor holder configured to hold said coating material;
i) wherein in said sputtering position, said coating donor holder positions a portion of said coating material in the path of said first central ion beam axis, the interaction of said first ion beam with said coating material creating a sputtered coating material in said vacuum chamber;
ii) wherein in said quiescent position, said coating donor holder positions none of said coating material in the path of said first central ion beam axis;
c) a sample retention stage configured to releasably retain a secondary sample holder, the sample retention stage having: a lifting axis and a lifting drive;
i) said secondary sample holder configured to releasably retain a primary sample holder in a predetermined position and orientation;
A) said primary sample holder configured to retain said sample in a predetermined position and orientation; wherein said primary sample holder can be released from said secondary sample holder without releasing said secondary sample holder from said sample retention stage;
ii) the lifting drive operable to move said sample retention stage along said lifting axis between a milling position and a coating position;
A) wherein in said milling position, said sample retention stage is positioned to hold at least a portion of said sample in the path of said first central ion beam axis;
B) wherein in said sputtering position, said sample retention stage is positioned so that none of said sample intersects said first central ion beam axis and at least a portion of said sample is positioned to receive a coating portion of said sputtered coating material present in said vacuum chamber; and
C) wherein said first central ion beam axis is the same for said sputtering position and said milling position and wherein said sample retention stage is moved parallel to said lifting axis between said sputtering position and said milling position.
12. An ion beam apparatus for preparing a sample and coating said sample with a coating material comprising:
a) a first ion beam irradiating means disposed in a vacuum chamber directing a first ion beam along a first central ion beam axis;
b) a coating donor translation stage operable to move between a sputtering position and a quiescent position, said coating donor translation stage coupled to a coating donor holder, said coating donor holder configured to hold said coating material;
i) wherein in said sputtering position, said coating donor holder positions a portion of said coating material in the path of said first central ion beam axis, the interaction of said first ion beam with said coating material creating a sputtered coating material in said vacuum chamber;
ii) wherein in said quiescent position, said coating donor holder positions none of said coating material in the path of said first central ion beam axis;
c) a sample retention stage configured to hold said sample and having: a lifting axis; a lifting drive;
i) the lifting drive operable to move said sample retention stage along said lifting axis between: a loading position; a milling position; and a coating position,
A) wherein in said loading position, a substantially vacuum-tight loading chamber is created between the sample retention stage and a portion of the vacuum chamber, and a substantially vacuum-tight seal is created between the loading chamber and the portion of the vacuum chamber in which the ion beam irradiating means is disposed;
B) wherein in said milling position, said sample retention stage is positioned to hold at least a portion of said sample in the path of said first central ion beam axis;
C) wherein in said sputtering position, none of said sample intersects said first ion beam central axis and at least a portion of said sample is positioned to receive a coating portion of said sputtered coating material present in said vacuum chamber; and
d) a vacuum pumping means coupled to a first vacuum manifold and configured to evacuate and maintain vacuum pressure in said loading chamber, said vacuum pumping means also coupled to a second vacuum manifold and configured to evacuate and maintain vacuum pressure in said vacuum chamber;
i) wherein said first central ion beam axis is the same for said sputtering position and said milling position and wherein said sample retention stage is moved parallel to said lifting axis between said sputtering position and said milling position.
9. An ion beam apparatus for preparing a sample and coating said sample with a coating material comprising:
a) a first ion beam irradiating means disposed in a vacuum chamber directing a first ion beam along a first central ion beam axis;
b) a coating donor translation stage operable to move between a sputtering position and a quiescent position, said coating donor translation stage coupled to a coating donor holder, said coating donor holder configured to hold said coating material;
i) wherein in said sputtering position, said coating donor holder positions a portion of said coating material in the path of said first central ion beam axis, the interaction of said first ion beam with said coating material creating a sputtered coating material in said vacuum chamber;
ii) wherein in said quiescent position, said coating donor holder positions none of said coating material in the path of said first central ion beam axis;
c) a sample retention stage configured to releasably retain a sample holder which holds said sample in a predetermined position and orientation with respect to said first central ion beam axis, said sample retention stage having: a lifting axis; and a lifting drive;
i) said sample holder configured to hold said sample in a predetermined position and orientation;
d) the lifting drive operable to move said sample retention stage along said lifting axis between a milling position and a coating position
i) wherein in said milling position, said sample retention stage is positioned to hold at least a portion of said sample in the path of said first central ion beam axis;
ii) wherein in said sputtering position, said sample retention stage is positioned so that none of said sample intersects said first ion beam central axis and at least a portion of said sample is positioned to receive a coating portion of said sputtered coating material present in said vacuum chamber;
e) a first gate valve operable to move between a gate-open position and a gate-closed position;
i) wherein in said gate-closed position, a substantially vacuum-tight loading chamber is created between the closed first gate valve and a portion of the vacuum chamber;
ii) wherein in said gate-closed position, a substantially vacuum-tight seal is created between the loading chamber and the portion of the vacuum chamber in which the ion beam irradiating means is disposed;
iii) wherein in said gate-open position, said sample holder can pass through said first gate valve; and
f) a vacuum pumping means coupled to a first vacuum manifold and configured to evacuate and maintain vacuum pressure in said loading chamber, said vacuum pumping means also coupled to a second vacuum manifold and configured to evacuate and maintain vacuum pressure in said vacuum chamber;
i) wherein said first central ion beam axis is the same for said sputtering position and said milling position and wherein said sample retention stage is moved parallel to said lifting axis between said sputtering position and said milling position.
2. The apparatus of
a) a second ion beam irradiating means disposed in said vacuum chamber directing a second ion beam along a second central ion beam axis;
b) wherein in said sputtering position, said coating donor holder positions a portion of said coating material in the path of said second central ion beam axis, the interaction of said second ion beam with said coating material creating a sputtered coating material in said vacuum chamber;
c) wherein in said quiescent position, said coating donor holder positions none of said coating material in the path of said second central ion beam axis;
d) wherein in said milling position, said sample retention stage is positioned to hold at least a portion of said sample in the path of said second central ion beam axis; and
e) wherein in said coating position said sample retention stage is positioned so that none of said sample intersects said second ion beam central axis.
3. The apparatus of
4. The apparatus of
a) a sputtering shield having both a shielding position and a non-shielding position;
i) wherein in said shielding position, said sputtering shield substantially prevents said sample from receiving any of said sputtered coating material present in said vacuum chamber when said sample retention stage is in said coating position;
ii) wherein in said non-shielding position, said coating portion of said sputtered coating material is received by said sample when said sample retention stage is in said coating position; and
b) said sputtering shield being operable to move between said shielding position and said non-shielding position when said sample retention stage is in said coating position.
5. The apparatus of
6. The apparatus of
a) a coating thickness monitor disposed in said vacuum chamber and having a monitoring position in which said coating thickness monitor is disposed to receive a monitoring portion of said sputtered coating material present in said vacuum chamber, said monitoring portion being proportional to said coating portion received by said sample.
7. The apparatus of
10. The apparatus of
a) a vacuum transfer device having: an outer vacuum bell, an inner vacuum bell, and a transfer means;
i) said outer vacuum bell being configured to removeably mount to said loading chamber thereby creating a vacuum-tight seal;
ii) said inner vacuum bell sized to fit inside of said outer vacuum bell and configured to create a vacuum-tight seal against said sample holder thereby creating a transfer chamber sized to isolate both said sample and a portion of said sample holder from the environment;
iii) said transfer means being operable to complete both a loading sequence and an unloading sequence while said outer vacuum bell is mounted to said loading chamber;
A) said loading sequence comprising the steps of: moving said inner vacuum bell from said loading chamber towards said sample retention stage; urging the engagement of said sample holder with said sample retention stage; urging the disengagement of inner vacuum bell from said sample holder; and moving said inner vacuum bell back to said loading chamber; and
B) said unloading sequence comprising the steps of: moving said inner vacuum bell from said loading chamber towards said sample retention stage; urging the engagement of said sample holder with said inner vacuum bell; urging the disengagement of said sample holder from said sample retention stage; and moving said inner vacuum bell back to said loading chamber.
11. The apparatus of
a) a vacuum transfer device having: an outer vacuum bell coupled to a second gate valve, an inner gripper coupled to a transfer means;
b) said inner gripper sized to fit inside of said outer vacuum bell and configured to releasably retain said sample holder within an interior portion of said outer vacuum bell;
c) said second gate valve coupled to said outer vacuum bell and having both a second gate-closed position and a second gate-open position;
d) wherein in said second gate-closed position, a substantially vacuum-tight transfer chamber is created between the closed second gate valve and an interior portion of the outer vacuum bell;
e) wherein in said second gate-open position, said inner gripper can pass through said second gate valve;
f) said outer vacuum bell being configured to removeably mount to said loading chamber thereby creating a vacuum-tight seal;
g) said transfer means being operable to complete both a loading sequence and an unloading sequence while said outer vacuum bell is mounted to said loading chamber;
i) said loading sequence comprising the steps of: moving said inner gripper from said loading chamber towards said sample retention stage; urging the engagement of said sample holder with said sample retention stage; urging the disengagement of inner gripper from said sample holder; and moving said inner gripper back to said loading chamber; and
ii) said unloading sequence comprising the steps of: moving said inner gripper from said loading chamber towards said sample retention stage; urging the engagement of said sample holder with said inner gripper; urging the disengagement of said sample holder from said sample retention stage; and moving said inner gripper back to said loading chamber.
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This non-provisional utility application claims the benefit of provisional Application No. 62/029,563, filed Jul. 28, 2014, entitled “Ion Beam Sample Preparation and Coating Apparatus”. Application No. 62/029,563 is incorporated herein by reference.
Not Applicable.
Not Applicable.
The present disclosure relates to the use of one or more ion beams to prepare materials for microscopic observation or spectroscopic analysis. Microscopic observational techniques include, but are not limited to, optical light microscopy (LM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), and reflection electron microscopy (REM). Spectroscopic analysis techniques include, but are not limited to, x-ray microanalysis, reflection electron energy-loss spectroscopy (REELS), electron back-scattered diffraction (EBSD), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES). Materials to be viewed under any microscopic technique may require processing to produce a sample suitable for microscopic examination.
Microscopies making use of electrons to probe and image samples are important techniques for studying the detailed microstructure of many materials. The preparation of these samples for observation is very demanding. The goals of sample preparation are: preserve as many salient sample features as possible; avoid artifacts that might change, lose, or add additional information; render the sample stable for examination, in an observational environment, that may be carried out within a range of temperatures, vacuum conditions, and charged and neutral particle fluxes; and, to enable the observation of the sample as near to its natural state as possible.
Ion beam milling of a material can produce samples that are well suited for microscopic examination. Ion beam milling may be employed during sample preparation to thin, smooth, expose, and etch regions of interest in the sample for later microscopic study. An ion beam irradiating device may generate, accelerate, and direct a beam of ions toward a sample. The impact of ions on the sample will sputter material away from the area of ion impact. The sample surface may be polished by the ion beam to a substantially smooth condition, further enhancing observational properties of the sample. Regions of interest in the sample may be exposed and polished by the use of ion beams, thus making a suitable observational sample from the material under investigation. Furthermore, a sample may be etched by the action of one or more ion beams and may thereby be prepared to accept a coating on its surface.
Coating a sample with a carefully chosen coating material can produce samples with observational characteristics better than those achievable from the intrinsic properties of the sample material alone. Thin coatings of carbon, metals such as: gold; chromium; platinum; palladium; iridium; tungsten; tantalum, and other compounds can be used to coat a prepared sample and thereby produce changes in: conductivity; charge accumulation during observation; edge resolution during observation; thermal damage; secondary electron emission; backscattered electron emission; and mechanical stability.
Ion beam systems used to mill samples destined for microscopic analysis typically expose an interface, or underlying structure of interest, or produce a sample with an electron-transparent region. Many of these systems have rotating samples and fixed beams, so that the beams may strike the sample from multiple directions. This provides for more uniform milling of a sample by compensating for the shadowing of certain regions that may happen due to the nonuniform topology of the sample surface. In the typical system used for ion beam milling, material is removed most quickly from the sample by the ion beam in the region of the sample described by the intersection of the rotation axis of the sample with the center of the ion beam itself.
Important considerations to users of ion beam milling techniques include: reducing or minimizing the time and effort the user is occupied in processing the sample; reducing or minimizing the number of steps where delicate samples are directly handled and at risk for damage, such as during mounting to sample holders for processing or analysis; reducing or minimizing the time and effort the user is occupied transferring the sample into the ultimate analysis equipment (imaging or spectroscopy) and aligning the coordinates of the prepared sample region to the ultimate analysis equipment prior to analysis; ensuring high quality and high probability of success in processing and imaging the sample; reducing or minimizing the time that the ion milling equipment and sample mounting equipment are occupied for each sample; and ensuring high-quality microscopy observation of the sample during sample mounting and ultimate analysis by reducing the working distance required between the sample and the objective or probe-forming lens used for observation.
Important considerations with respect to coating a sample with a coating material that enhances its properties during subsequent microscopic observation include: improving the spatial uniformity of coating; reducing the time required to coat a sample; improving the repeatability of the coating step; controlling the coating thickness; and improving the efficiency of the coating step.
In consideration of the foregoing points, it is clear that embodiments of the present disclosure confer numerous advantages, and are therefore highly desirable.
A summary of embodiments follows in which various features may be grouped together in a single embodiment for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. This method of disclosure is meant to be illustrative of the teachings of the present disclosure and is not to be interpreted as reflecting that the claimed embodiments have more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Inventive subject matter may lie in less than all of the features disclosed in a single embodiment. Moreover, the scope of embodiments now described should be determined with reference to the appended claims along with the full scope of equivalents to which the claims in the present application are entitled.
Concept 1: An ion beam apparatus for preparing a sample and coating said sample with a coating material according to a concept of the present disclosure comprises:
Concept 2 (adding second ion beam): concept 1 additionally comprising:
Concept 3 (ion beam tilt): concept 1 further characterized in that the first central ion beam axis has a tilt angle with respect to said lifting axis of said sample retention stage, the apparatus additionally comprising a tilt drive operably coupled to the first ion beam irradiating means and configured to move the direction of said first central ion beam axis between at least two different tilt angles.
Concept 4 (adding sputtering shield to protect sample while cleaning the coating donor): concept 1 additionally comprising:
Concept 5 (adding rotation to sample retention stage): An ion beam apparatus for preparing a sample and coating said sample with a coating material according to a concept of the present disclosure comprises:
Concept 6 (adding a load lock where sample holder enters the vacuum chamber): An ion beam apparatus for preparing a sample and coating said sample with a coating material according to a concept of the present disclosure comprises:
Concept 7A (a system comprising ion beam sample preparation apparatus and vacuum transfer device): a system for transferring a sample to and from an ion beam sample preparation apparatus comprises the apparatus of concept 6 and additionally comprises:
Concept 7B (a system comprising ion beam sample preparation apparatus and vacuum transfer device according to another concept): a system for transferring a sample to and from an ion beam sample preparation apparatus comprises the apparatus of concept 6 and additionally comprises:
Concept 8 (adding a third position, i.e. a loading position, to the sample retention stage): An ion beam apparatus for preparing a sample and coating said sample with a coating material according to a concept of the present disclosure comprises:
Concept 9A (adding the ability to modulate the position or angle of the coating donor while in the coating position): concept 1 further characterized in that:
Concept 10 (adding coating thickness monitor): concept 1 additionally comprising:
Concept 11 (adding a secondary sample holder adapted to be transferred from sample prep chamber into other equipment directly): An ion beam apparatus for preparing a sample and coating said sample with a coating material according to a concept of the present disclosure comprises:
These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings where:
Embodiments of the present disclosure provide ion beam sample preparation and coating apparatus and associated methods for producing high-quality samples for microscopic observation. Broad Ion Beam Slope-Cutting (BIBSC), also known as cross-section cutting using broad ion beam sources, ion beam milling, ion beam etching, or cross-section polishing using broad ion beam sources, is a rapid method for removing sample material to expose a smooth and substantially artifact-free cross-sectional surface for ultimate analysis by various microscopies and spectroscopies. A notable advantage of the BIBSC technique is high rates of surface preparation that can exceed tens or hundreds or thousands of square microns per hour, often over sample milling times of tens or hundreds of minutes. Using a broad ion beam to create a sputtered coating on a sample that has been freshly prepared in an ion beam can enhance numerous observational characteristics and durability properties of a sample. Embodiments of the disclosure present numerous beneficial apparatus and methods for performing these and other procedures.
The disclosed improvements have the benefits of: reducing or minimizing the time and effort the user is occupied in processing the sample; reducing or minimizing the number of steps where delicate samples are directly handled and at risk for damage, such as during mounting to sample holders for processing or analysis; reducing or minimizing the time and effort the user is occupied transferring the sample into the ultimate analysis equipment (imaging or spectroscopy) and aligning the coordinates of the prepared sample region to the ultimate analysis equipment prior to analysis; ensuring high quality and high probability of success in processing and imaging the sample; reducing or minimizing the time that the ion milling equipment and sample mounting equipment are occupied for each sample; and ensuring high-quality microscopy observation of the sample during sample mounting and ultimate analysis by reducing the working distance required between the sample and the objective or probe-forming lens used for observation; improving the spatial uniformity of coating; reducing the time required to coat a sample; improving the repeatability of the coating step; controlling the coating thickness; and improving the efficiency of the coating step.
Turning now to
In the embodiments of the present disclosure, broad ion beams preferably comprise noble gas ions. Non-noble gas ions may be used in other embodiments. Noble gas elements used for the ion beam may include but are not limited to: Argon, Xenon, and Krypton. The ion beam may also comprise a mixture of ions and neutrals. In other embodiments of the present disclosure ion beam intensity control means may be operative to control ion beam irradiating means such that one or more of the following properties of the ion beam may be controlled: energy of the ions produced, number of ions produced per unit time, divergence of the emitted ion beam, and spatial distribution and shape of the emitted ion beam. In certain preferred embodiments the ion beam irradiating means may produce a beam energy about in the range of 100 eV to 10 KeV, and beam current about in the range of 10 microAmps to 100 micro Amps.
As shown in
Turning now to
Turning to
During preparation and coating of the sample, rotating sample retention stage 80 may control the rotation about rotation axis 82. Rotating sample retention stage 80 may be configured to rotate through a full 360° of rotation or back and forth between two distinct angular positions. In addition, rotating sample retention stage 80 may be configured for either continuous or intermittent rotation. Rotating sample retention stage 80 may be further configured to measure the rotational position of the stage and that measurement or sequence of measurements may be used to control position, speed, or acceleration of rotating sample retention stage 80. It is noted that rotation may be used during sample preparation, during coating, during both preparation and coating, or not at all.
Also, during preparation of the sample, an ion beam intensity control means may vary the intensity of the ion beam so that at least two different beam intensities may be used during sample preparation, sample coating, or any combination of preparation and coating. In addition, during preparation of the sample, an ion beam tilt drive may vary the tilt angle of the ion beam so that at least two different tilt angles may be used during sample preparation. After the sample has been prepared and coated in the ion beam, the chamber cover may be removed; then the sample holder may be removed and the prepared and coated sample may be observed in a microscope.
It may be advantageous to be able to transfer a sample to or from the sample preparation and coating apparatus under environmentally controlled conditions such as vacuum or inert atmosphere. Turning now to
In can be appreciated that having a loading chamber in the apparatus allows certain desirable efficiencies. Instead of venting the entire vacuum chamber when a sample enters or exits the apparatus, the lifting drive may be operated to raise the sample retention stage into the loading position thereby creating the loading chamber. In preferred embodiments, the volume of the loading chamber is much smaller that the volume of the vacuum chamber. Vacuum conditions are maintained in the remainder of the vacuum chamber when the sample retention stage is in the loading position. Venting and evacuating the small volume of the loading chamber takes much less time than it does to vent and evacuate the entire chamber. When the loading chamber has been evacuated to pressures appropriate for ion beam milling, the lifting drive may be operated to move the sample into the milling or coating positions, and the sample may again be prepared in the ion beam or coated by the action of the ion beam on the coating material.
In
Also within the scope of the present disclosure are other embodiments that may allow for improved uniformity of sample coating produced by the coating process. One such improvement is the embodiment of
The coating thickness monitor 150 of
Turning now to
The operation of the apparatus of
As shown in
In consideration of further embodiments of the present disclosure, it may be advantageous to be able to transfer a sample to or from the sample preparation and coating apparatus under environmentally controlled conditions such as vacuum or inert atmosphere. Turning now to
In
Use of the apparatus shown in
Although the present invention has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain preferred versions thereof, other versions are possible. It may be desirable to combine features shown in various embodiments into a single embodiment. A different number and configuration of features may be used to construct embodiments of ion beam sample preparation and coating apparatus that are entirely within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the spirit and scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description of the preferred versions contained herein.
While various embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed and described in detail herein, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made to the configuration, operation and form of the invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. In particular, it is noted that the respective features of the invention, even those disclosed solely in combination with other features of the invention, may be combined in any configuration excepting those readily apparent to the person skilled in the art as nonsensical. Likewise, use of the singular and plural is solely for the sake of illustration and is not to be interpreted as limiting. Except where the contrary is explicitly noted, the plural may be replaced by the singular and vice-versa.
In the present disclosure, the verb “may” is used to designate optionality/non-compulsoriness. In other words, something that “may” can, but need not. In the present disclosure, the verb “comprise” may be understood in the sense of including. Accordingly, the verb “comprise” does not exclude the presence of other elements/actions. In the present disclosure, relational terms such as “first,” “second,” “top,” “bottom” and the like may be used solely to distinguish one entity or action from another entity or action without necessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between such entities or actions.
In the present disclosure, the term “any” may be understood as designating any number of the respective elements, e.g. as designating one, at least one, at least two, each or all of the respective elements. Similarly, the term “any” may be understood as designating any collection(s) of the respective elements, e.g. as designating one or more collections of the respective elements, a collection comprising one, at least one, at least two, each or all of the respective elements. The respective collections need not comprise the same number of elements.
In the present disclosure, the expression “at least one” is used to designate any (integer) number or range of (integer) numbers (that is technically reasonable in the given context). As such, the expression “at least one” may, inter alia, be understood as one, two, three, four, five, ten, fifteen, twenty or one hundred. Similarly, the expression “at least one” may, inter alia, be understood as “one or more,” “two or more” or “five or more.”
In the present disclosure, expressions in parentheses may be understood as being optional. As used in the present disclosure, quotation marks may emphasize that the expression in quotation marks may also be understood in a figurative sense. As used in the present disclosure, quotation marks may identify a particular expression under discussion.
In the present disclosure, many features are described as being optional, e.g. through the use of the verb “may” or the use of parentheses. For the sake of brevity and legibility, the present disclosure does not explicitly recite each and every permutation that may be obtained by choosing from the set of optional features. However, the present disclosure is to be interpreted as explicitly disclosing all such permutations. For example, a system described as having three optional features may be embodied in seven different ways, namely with just one of the three possible features, with any two of the three possible features or with all three of the three possible features.
Any element in a claim that does not explicitly state “means for” performing a specified function, or “step for” performing a specific function, is not to be interpreted as a “means” or “step” clause as specified in 35 U.S.C. Section 112, Paragraph 6. In particular, the use of “step of” in the claims herein is not intended to invoke the provisions of 35 U.S.C. Section 112, Paragraph 6.
Coyle, Steven Thomas, Hunt, John Andrew, Hassel-Shearer, Michael Patrick, Hosman, Thijs C
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